Elves of Phaedros
Elves of Phaedros A Tale of Two Empires After the God's war Phaedros descended into primeval chaos. Most of the world was devastated, in a constant state of anarchy and violence. The first race to reorganize itself was the Elves of Tiranon, led by King Tasileas he unified the local elven tribes and established the world's first proper post-god age civilization. His realm became a beacon of light learning and progress. Elsewhere the elves of the east fled high into the mountains becoming Rheldirane Peltherne overtime whilst the Northern Elves(Sea Elves) formed the great sea empire of Aquilonis based in the Boreal Islands north of Sionnachia. Aquilonis's ships were the greatest the world has ever seen, capable of braving the worst of the world's tempests and coming out unscathed. Even today no one has matched their shipcrafting prowess. The Empires of Aquilonis and Tiranon spread their influence over the world with most of the world falling under their influence over the coming centuries. Any state or tribe that attempted to resist fell swiftly to the Elven Legions. Whether by the pen or sword the Elvish Hegemony ruled nearly all of Phaedros and for a milennia their dominion was uncontested but as the centuries carried on tensions between the Elvish states grew. First a series of trade conflicts and border skirmishes then small scale warfare took off. Eventually a peace summit was held behind King Tasileas and the Sea-King Antaris. No one knows exactly what caused it but one of the Sea-King's Guards drew his sword which prompted yelling then conflict. Tasileas and Antaris dueled for a night with Antaris lying impaled upon Tasileas's spear by the end of it. Afterwards full scale war broke out between the two elven states. Phaedros was devastated once more. Early in the war Aquilonis held the edge being able to strike at Tiranon's holdings then retreat with impunity. The Sea Elves however were never able to strike a knockout blow and eventually Tasileas's forces managed to capture a Sea-Elf warship, eventually copying its design and fielding it. With their new designs the playing field was more evened out. However the true Deathblow didn't come at elven hands but rather their subjects. In the far north the ancestors of the Svaer rose up pushing out the Sea Elven garrisons while the Jochi begin to rise against Tiranon. With the uprisings further sapping Elven strength the borders of both kingdoms began to recede as their devastating civil war continued unabated. Eventually Tasileas found a weakness in the Sea-Elven defenses, launching a devastating strike at Sea-Elven Capital itself. The capital was sacked, utterly destroyed with most of the inhabitants slaughtered, the few survivors scattered to the four winds. Aquilonis was destroyed, its effective resistance collapsed. The last of the Sea Elves fled to the northern islands where they remain in seclusion till this very day while another segment of their population got on their white ships taking to the sea. The white fleet hasn't been sighted since, its return is a popular myth around Phaedros. Tasileas swiftly realized that the time of Tiranon as a world power was ending due to the devastation caused by the civil war paired with the constant uprisings. All of his forces were pulled back to Tiranon proper where his mages cast a series of spells veiling the realm. Only a handful of traders are permitted to trade at the port of Tar-Lehan. Elves today The elves themselves are rarely ever seen. Outside of Tiranon the only sizeable population of elves live far to the east. A few elven wanderers tread the roads of Phaedros while its believed that the people of Haijin have some Elven ancestry. Granted many also think that the Nemetians have some elvish influence as well. The Sea Elves are believed to still have a handful of settlements in the Frigid Isles to the north but none have ever returned to confirm their existence. There are whispers of sightings of the White Fleet as well but anytime a ship tries to approach the likely mirage it disappears....